Fiona Phillips has opened up further about her struggles with depression and anxiety.

The TV presenter spoke in depth on Lorraine today about coping with mental health issues - and the her worries that it might be hereditary.

Fiona, 57, cared for her late parents as they suffered from Alzheimer’s and she says that now she recognises that her mother also struggled with depression.

She said: "My poor mum, when we were little, she used to lock herself in the room for a day in the dark because she was just so, so depressed. I think it can run in families as well.”

The TV presenter was on Lorraine to talk about mental health issues (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Fiona looked back at her family history and revealed her mother also suffered from depression (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

She also believes that it can be triggered by the menopause and added: “Things happen to you… and the menopause - that is a horrible thing! I remember my mum in a real state with her menopause and I just thought, 'It can't be that bad surely' – and yes, it can."

The ITV favourite handed her notice in at GMTV in 2008, saying at the time that she “couldn’t have it all.” The reality was that she was juggling looking after her increasingly ill mum and dad, bringing up her two sons and working in a high-pressured job on TV.

When asked by Lorraine about how she coped, she explained: “You have to don't you? Otherwise I would have had two parents with Alzheimer's and be homeless because we wouldn't be able to afford the mortgage. All the time my emotions were torn – I should be with my kids, I should be with my parents… you know what it's like. You have to have a house for your kids and food on the table."

The two TV favourites chatted honestly (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

The brave TV presenter smiled for the cameras (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

As well as suffering from depression, she said that she also began to suffer from anxiety. She added: "Anxiety in all sorts of things that you might never had had before. Suddenly you're overwhelmed by things."

Fiona recently revealed the issues she faced while working on national TV, including the gender pay gap - where she was earning less than her male co-presenters, including Eamonn Holmes - and her fight for maternity pay.

She said: "Monetarily I was well adrift of my on-screen partner who also had “perks” that I clearly wasn’t deemed worthy of.

"I even had to fight for ­maternity pay after being told by bosses when I broke it to them that I was pregnant that 'viewers don’t like seeing pregnant women on TV, especially early in the morning'."

She added: "Unbelieeeeeeevable! And followed up by 'you’ll have to go once it shows too much'."